Murder of Jeff Whittington

Jeff Ryan Whittington was a 14-year-old from Wellington, New Zealand, who died in May 1999 after being beaten in what has been described as an anti-gay hate crime. At the time of the assault he had dyed his hair purple and was wearing fluorescent green nail polish. He suffered severe facial injuries and a perforated bowel, and after being taken to hospital he died from swelling of the brain.

In the early hours of 8 May 1999, a police officer found Whittington lying apparently unconscious on Vivian Street at about 4.20am. The officer thought he was drunk, helped him up and asked whether he was alright; Whittington said he did not need assistance and was on his way home, and the officer left without reporting the encounter. About twenty minutes later, at 4.40am, two passersby found Whittington in Inverlochy Place, beaten and with head injuries. Ambulance staff tried to resuscitate him on the way to Wellington Hospital but were unsuccessful, and he died in the intensive care unit on the morning of 9 May.

An autopsy completed on 10 May found that his injuries were not accidental; he had head injuries and a perforated bowel, and datura and alcohol were detected in his blood. Police opened a homicide investigation. On 11 May, two men — Jason Morris Meads, then aged 25, and Stephen Smith, then aged 27 — came forward with statements to police and were arrested and charged with murder.

At the High Court of New Zealand, the Crown alleged that the two men had offered Whittington a ride home, driven him to Inverlochy Place, and assaulted him with blows to the head and body. A pathologist testified that death was caused by brain swelling from multiple blows to the head, that boot or shoe imprints were found on the head, and that a perforated small intestine was consistent with a strong blow to the abdomen. The defence argued the men had not intended to kill and asked the jury to consider manslaughter, while the Crown prosecutor argued that the head injuries showed an intent to cause serious harm.

On 3 December 1999, after about nine hours of deliberation, the jury found both Meads and Smith guilty of murder, and the judge sentenced each to life imprisonment. Jason Meads was paroled on 7 March 2011. The case later informed a 2007 play by Ronald Nelson, Corner 4am and Cuba.